Defending Hayden: A Second Chances Novel (17 page)

“Derek!”

Her screams echo in my ear, but I can’t see her. It’s not Brianna this time but Hayden. I can see her car down the street, in the same spot as the accident, only it’s not mangled. My heart races and I run toward it, but the faster I run, the farther away I get.

“Please, Derek! Help me!”

“Dammit, I’m coming. Hang on!” I yell back. I try to get to her, but I can’t seem to get any closer. Her cries tear me apart, and the feeling of losing her overwhelms me. I’ve already lost one love, I can’t lose another. My muscles burn, but I push through it to get to her. I rush down the ravine and Hayden is on the ground, looking up at the night sky. Her face is tear-streaked, and when she turns my way, she blinks once and then closes her eyes. “You’re too late.”

My eyes sprang open and I shot out of bed. My body was covered in sweat and my heart pounded relentlessly in my chest. I looked over to make sure Hayden was safe beside me, but there was no one there.

“Hayden?” I called out. The bathroom light was off, so she wasn’t in there. It was one o’clock in the morning, according to the clock. Where was she? Getting out of bed, I slipped on a pair of boxers and walked out of the room. There were no lights on in the rest of the house, and the dogs were huddled up together in a corner, yawning sleepily at me. “Hayden?” Still no answer.

I searched all the rooms to make sure she wasn’t sleeping in one of the guest beds. Maybe I’d pissed her off? My head was in a fog, but I didn’t remember making her mad before we fell asleep. I hurried to the living room and glanced out the window to see if her car was still outside; it wasn’t. What the fuck? I ran back to my bedroom and grabbed my phone. There were no text messages from her. I called her number, and it rang continuously until her voicemail greeting came on. Impatiently, I tapped my foot until I heard the beep. “Hayden, where are you? Call me as soon as you get this.”

I threw my phone on the bed. I didn’t like her leaving in the middle of the night without telling me where she was going. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I grabbed my phone and rushed downstairs to the kitchen to grab my keys. Wherever she was, I was going to find her.

However, when I reached for my keys, I saw her note on the counter.

Derek,

I know you’re going to be mad at me if you read this. I’m kind of hoping I get back before you wake up, but if not, just know this was something that had to be done. I have to know what happened at Stonebrooke. Allowing the blame to be put on my shoulders isn’t right, especially since I know I didn’t do anything wrong. Please understand that I have to do this. I’ll be back soon.

Love you,

Hayden

“Dammit, Hayden,” I growled. If she were caught she’d get into a whole hell of a lot more trouble than she already was. I called her again and still no answer. “Fuck.”

I didn’t know if I should go there or wait for her to get back. As much as I wanted to snap at her for doing something so foolish, I had to believe she was making the right decision for her. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, I sat down at the bar and waited. If this was something she really felt she had to do, I could understand that, but sneaking off was the wrong move. And she was going to hear it when she got back. Only I didn’t want to wait.

I was in a daze, my vision blurry. It was so dark I couldn’t see anything, but I could smell the antiseptic. The floor was hard against my back, my head throbbing as I tried to lift it. I couldn’t move.

“Sleeping Beauty finally awake?”

The voice was taunting and cruel, a tone I’d never thought possible from Jeremiah. My mouth was so dry. I wanted to scream and yell at him, claw his eyes out for doing what he’d done, but I couldn’t. He’d drugged me and I was afraid of what else he was going to do.

He turned on the hallway light, allowing a terrifying glow to seep into the lab. I could see his shadow from across the room and held back my tears when he approached. In his gloved hands, he held a knife; it reflected the light and I had to close my eyes. I didn’t want to imagine what he was going to do with it.

Lifting me off the floor, he roughly slid me back to the wall and I banged my head. I wanted to rub my skull, but my limbs were too heavy. “Why?” I croaked.

He tilted my chin up with the knife; the blade was cold and I shivered. I didn’t want to look at him, but I had no choice. No amount of drugs could take away the fear I felt when I looked into his eyes. They were empty, detached.

“Why?” he repeated, spitting the word at me. “For six years, I’ve worked my ass off at this clinic. It should be me Wilford gives it to, but yet he turns around and stabs me in the back. This place is mine.”

I felt sick to my stomach and tried to take in a deep breath, but the effort was fruitless. My whole body was weakened. “I don’t understand,” I cried. “I thought you…”

He chuckled darkly. “That I what, had a thing for you? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted that pussy of yours since the day you started working here.” He brushed his fingers along my cheek and I cringed. “But you kept pushing me away, and when I finally started making ground, that worthless fucking cocksucker got in my way.” His eyes darkened and he stood, scowling down at me. “I had it all planned out. You were supposed to fall in love with me and we’d both run this clinic, but you fucked it all up by coming here. Better yet, you might have saved me. I had no idea Wilford had security cameras in this place. I’m just glad Kellie left before I had to drag her down with you.”

My eyes widened and I gasped, the words hard to form on my tongue. What the hell did he give me? “How…did…you…know?”

A slow smirk spread across his face. “I came here to cover my tracks and dispose of the sharps container, but you almost beat me to it. I was home free until you decided to be a sneaky bitch. I can’t have you telling everyone what I’ve done, now can I?”

“How could you…kill them?”

He snorted. “Simple, just put a needle in and let ’em go. It had to be done.” He pulled out his phone and sighed. “Looks like I’m running out of time.” My body felt like it was running down, but I had to keep my eyes open. Jeremiah typed something on the computer, and then the printer roared to life.

“What…are you…doing?” I asked, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

“Reading your suicide note. It’s kind of sad how emotional you get over these animals. You were so distraught after losing your job and killing those innocent pups that you couldn’t live with yourself anymore.” He frowned at the letter and then laughed. “Such a tragedy.”

Fear overwhelmed me, and my heart rate spiked. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, but my attempt at escape was futile; I didn’t get very far before he pulled me back, holding the knife at my throat.

“Please don’t do this,” I begged.

He shrugged. “It’s too late, Hayden. You already know too much.” The knife lowered and he grazed it across my chest on down to my thigh. “Although I do have to say I’ll miss this body of yours. It’s a shame to waste it.” Holding me in place, he closed his lips over mine, forcing his tongue inside. I tried to fight him off, but I couldn’t. When he pulled back, he licked his lips and smiled. “Goodbye, darling.”

Straddling my waist, he held me down with his weight and grabbed my wrist.
“Stop,”
I cried, feeling the edge of the knife dig in to my skin. I screamed with the pain and felt the blood dripping out of my veins as he sliced me open. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I choked on my breaths. He was going to slit my wrists and leave me for dead.

“Hayden,”
a voice shouted.

Jeremiah jerked his head and glanced behind him. “Fuck,” he hissed angrily. It was Derek. Jeremiah hurried off and I didn’t see where he went, but I knew he was still there. I could hear Derek kicking the back door and then the sound of it bursting open. He rushed in and saw me. I could barely see him through my tears.

“Holy fuck,” he growled, racing over to me. He saw the letter and a terrified look crossed his face. “What the hell did you do?” Ripping off his shirt, he wrapped it tightly around my arm.

I shook my head. “Not…me. Jeremiah.” My voice was so low he couldn’t hear me.

His gaze was frantic as he looked me over and pulled out his phone. He called for help and hung up. I was close to losing consciousness, but over his shoulder, I could see Jeremiah coming closer, the knife poised high.

With every ounce of energy I had left, I grabbed Derek’s hand. “Behind you.”

I was so distraught from seeing Hayden covered in blood that I couldn’t think straight. So when she said, “Behind you,” I didn’t move fast enough. The blade sliced across my back as I ducked out of the way. Staring up at me with a murderous glare was that fuckhead Jeremiah. Rage consumed me when I realized what was going on.
He
was the one who’d hurt Hayden. Now he was going to pay.

He lunged and tried to stab me with the knife, but I rolled away and kicked his legs out from under him. When he fell, he grunted in pain and I hoped like hell one of his legs had broken. I punched him in the face and he sliced me on the arm. Growling, I grabbed his wrist and slammed it on the ground over and over until I heard his bones break. The knife skidded across the floor and he panicked, his gaze darting from me to the door. I made the mistake of glancing over at Hayden, and he used that momentary lapse of judgment to get away. He punched me with his good hand and scrambled out from underneath me. I wanted to chase after him, to kill him for what he’d done. Instead, I rushed to Hayden’s side. “Baby, I’m here. Help is on the way.”

Her face had paled and she sucked in a breath. “Go get him, Derek. Don’t let him get away.”

“I don’t want to leave you. Not until I know you’ll be okay.”

She clenched her jaw, her voice raw. “Please…do it for
me
.”

My gut clenched; I knew that if I found him, I’d probably kill him. Nodding, I kissed her head, praying like hell she’d be okay until I got back. “Hang on, baby.”

I rushed out the back door and quickly looked around. It didn’t take long to find Jeremiah disappearing into the woods. All I could see was red and I took off after him. He ran with a limp, but he was faster than I would’ve thought. Knowing what the fucker had done to Hayden and what his end goal had been made my blood boil. Teeth clenched, I pushed my body to the limits and caught up with him. I grabbed him around the neck and tackled him to the ground, the impact of the fall causing me to lose my breath.

“You son of a bitch,” I growled, slamming his head into the ground.

I punched him on the side of his face and watched his head snap to the side. Blood gushed out of his nose and he gasped for air, but I couldn’t stop. He had planned to take Hayden away from me.

Over and over, I punched him until a light flashed behind me. “McLaughlin,
stop
! Put your hands in the air and step away from him.” It was Jason Avery, my friend from the police department who’d investigated the accident that killed Brianna. My breaths came out in rapid pants and my heart raced. I did as he’d said and stepped aside slowly, my body shaking with rage. My hands were covered in Jeremiah’s blood as I lifted them in the air.

“He tried to kill Hayden,” I growled through clenched teeth. I turned around and faced Jason. There was another officer with him; I recognized him but couldn’t remember his name.

Jason motioned for me to move away while the other officer held a gun in Jeremiah’s direction. “An ambulance is on the way. Aylee is with Hayden right now.
Go
.” The handcuffing was probably going to come later. As I raced back through the woods, I saw the ambulance pull into the parking lot and the medics get out. I didn’t wait for them; I burst through the clinic door. Aylee was beside Hayden, applying pressure to her wounded arm. Aylee was Jason’s wife and a former FBI agent; she worked with him now.

Hayden glanced up at me and frowned when she looked at my hands. “What happened?”

I dropped down beside her, the weight of the situation finally hitting home. My eyes burned. If I hadn’t woken up when I did and come looking for her, I never would’ve gotten to her in time. “Unfortunately, the fucker’s still alive,” I grumbled. I grabbed her icy-cold hand and kissed it, tears falling down my cheeks. I couldn’t have held them back even if I’d wanted to. The paramedics hurried in, a young woman and a middle-aged man, and I watched them bandage Hayden up and put her on the gurney. I followed them into the ambulance, where the woman tended to the wound on my back while I kept my gaze on Hayden.

She turned to me and smiled. “I love you.”

I held her good hand to my face, breathing her in. “I love you, too. I can’t believe I almost lost you tonight.”

Hayden shook her head. “You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”

I could hear voices all around me, but I couldn’t seem to wake up. My mom and dad were there, and so was Michael, but most important, Derek’s voice never seemed to leave me. Apparently, I spent two hours in the ER, where they put eighteen stitches in my arm. The sedative Jeremiah used on me—strong enough to put down a horse—had to work its way out of my system, and I had a throbbing headache, but luckily, there was no damage to my internal organs. What a sick bastard he turned out to be.

Judging by the sun shining in my face, I knew it had to be daytime. “What the hell are you doing? Shut the fucking curtain,” Derek snapped. Groaning, I turned away from the bright light and opened my eyes, meeting Derek’s gaze. He jumped out of his seat and knelt down beside the hospital bed. “How do you feel?”

I groaned again. “Like hammered dog shit. My arm and head hurt.”

Michael rushed over and knelt down beside Derek. “I knew the sun would wake you up. You’ve been out for hours.”

I snorted. “I wonder why.”

Derek sighed and held my hand. “The cops want to talk to you. Jason wanted me to call when you woke up.”

“Who’s Jason?”

“A cop I’m friends with. He wants to get your statement on what happened. As of right now, no one knows but you.”

Closing my eyes, I could see everything play out in my mind. “Believe me, it’s something I wish I could forget.”

Michael’s phone buzzed and he stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Derek broke down, and my chest ached. “Don’t you ever leave in the middle of the night like that again, you hear me?” he warned.

Wrapping his arms around my neck, he held me tight while I cried. “I’m sorry. I had to find out what happened, and I did. It was all Jeremiah.”

He kissed me hard and wiped away my tears. “It’s all over now. However, the media is all over this story. Your phone will be blowing up as soon as you get out of here.”

“I’ll give all the credit to my rescuer. You’re the one who saved me. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d be dead.”

He flinched and sat back down. “I was going to wait on you to come back, but I was so pissed at you leaving. That’s why I went after you.”

I glanced down at my arm, bandaged with a gazillion layers of gauze. “I’m glad you did.”

“But on a brighter note, you’ve had a fuck ton of people come by, hoping to see you. Your parents went down to the cafeteria to get coffee. They came as soon as they found out. I think they like me.”

The thought made me smile; I knew my parents would love him. Taking his hand, I squeezed it and brought it to my face. When I was with Jeremiah, I was afraid I’d never see him again. “How long was I out?”

He swallowed hard. “Half a day. You lost a lot of blood.”

“What about you? I saw Jeremiah cut you with the knife.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “It’s just a scratch, babe. I can’t say the same for him, though.”

“What did you do to him?”

He cleared his throat. “You wouldn’t recognize him right now. I broke his wrist, left leg, nose, and several bones in his face.”

“Good,” I said without remorse. “If he hadn’t drugged me, I would’ve done it myself. Wilford had hidden cameras set up throughout the office, and I watched the videos. That’s what I was doing there. Jeremiah had come in at night and infected my animals. He even killed Lady.”

“What a fucking psychopath,” Derek spat. “I knew he was hard up for you, but I never thought he’d try to kill you. If Jason hadn’t stopped me from beating his head in, I don’t know if he’d still be alive. All I could think about was you. Did he say why he was doing it?”

“He was upset with Wilford for offering me the practice. His first goal was for us to run the clinic together, but when he saw that wasn’t going to work, he wanted to get me out of the way. What’s crazy is that he had me completely fooled. I thought he was trying to help me get my job back. I didn’t know he was in the office when I showed up; when he found out what I was doing, he took his chance.”

Derek tensed. “That son of a bitch. I should’ve killed him.”

I shook my head. “But then you wouldn’t be with me right now. You’d be stuck in jail.”

“What about you? Where do you think you’ll go from here?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Not sure.” I looked down at my bandaged arm, knowing I was going to have a scar there for the rest of my life. “It just sucks that I’ll have a constant reminder of what happened.”

Derek brushed a hand down my cheek. “It’ll also show that you’re a survivor. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll have a scar across my back from where the fucker cut me.”

I patted his hand and gave him a sad smile. “It doesn’t, but it was a nice try. Do you know when I can get out of here?”

“Soon. And when you do, you’re moving in with me.”

“I am?” I laughed.

“Yep. That way I can make sure you don’t run off again. I’m tempted to tie you to the bed every night so you can’t.” He gave me a mischievous grin.

“How can I say no to that? I’m kind of turned on right now. Not only are you protective, but you have a possessive streak, too. I think I’m going to like it.”

He winked. “Don’t worry, you will.”